Legal Director

Legal
United Arab Emirates
March 9, 2026
Full Time

Job Overview

Job Description

411_3343711

Executive Director – Legal & Contracts (Infrastructure, PPP & Investments)

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Reporting Line: Chief Executive Officer

Function: Legal, Contracts & Governance

Role Purpose

This role provides executive-level legal leadership for a government-aligned infrastructure investment and development platform operating across large-scale PPP, capital projects, fund structures, and strategic investments.

The Executive Director will act as a trusted adviser to the CEO and senior stakeholders, overseeing legal governance, transaction structuring, regulatory compliance, and risk management across the full lifecycle of complex infrastructure and investment programmes in the UAE and internationally.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Legal Leadership

  • Define and lead the legal strategy supporting infrastructure development, PPP delivery, and investment platforms.
  • Advise the CEO and senior leadership on transaction structuring, governance, regulatory exposure, and legislative impact.
  • Represent the organisation in senior-level legal and commercial negotiations with public authorities, sponsors, investors, lenders, and international partners.
  • Provide cross-border legal guidance including corporate structuring, jurisdictional risk, tax considerations, and overseas establishment.

Funds, Platforms & Investment Structures

  • Oversee legal aspects of sponsor-led investment platforms, including GP/LP structures, fund governance, and lifecycle management.
  • Support capital deployment strategies through legally robust fund, JV, and co-investment frameworks.

PPP, Contracts & Transactions

  • Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of complex infrastructure agreements, including:
  • Concession and long-form PPP agreements
  • EPC, O&M, lifecycle, interface, and development contracts
  • Shareholder, partnership, and lease arrangements
  • Ensure contracts reflect appropriate risk allocation aligned with UAE legal frameworks and international best practice.
  • Direct legal due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and strategic investments.

Regulatory, Compliance & Project Finance

  • Manage regulatory engagement with relevant UAE and federal authorities on licensing, approvals, and compliance matters.
  • Ensure adherence to applicable PPP legislation, economic regulation, ESG commitments, and governance standards.
  • Partner with project finance and banking advisers on:
  • Government support and guarantee mechanisms
  • Financing structures from development through operations

Risk, Governance & Assurance

  • Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and contractual risks across development, construction, and operational phases.
  • Establish strong governance, compliance, and assurance frameworks across all projects and transactions.

Leadership & Capability Building

  • Build and lead a specialist in-house legal function covering infrastructure, contracts, and PPP matters.
  • Manage external counsel, government legal teams, lenders’ advisers, and international consultants on multi-party transactions.

Candidate Profile

Qualifications

  • Law degree (LLB or JD); postgraduate legal qualification preferred.
  • Qualified to practise law in a recognised jurisdiction.
  • Middle East / UAE legal exposure strongly preferred.

Experience

  • Minimum 15 years’ post-qualification legal experience within:
  • PPP / project finance environments
  • Major capital projects or sponsor-side platforms
  • Demonstrable experience in:
  • PPP and concession structuring
  • Project finance and lender negotiations
  • M&A, joint ventures, or strategic partnerships
  • Investment platforms or fund structures (highly desirable)

Core Competencies

  • Deep expertise in infrastructure law and international contracting.
  • Proven ability to negotiate high-value, complex transactions.
  • Strong executive presence with senior public- and private-sector stakeholders.
  • Exceptional drafting, analytical, and commercial judgement skills.
  • Fluent English essential; Arabic advantageous.

Why This Opportunity

This is a top-tier legal leadership role embedded at the centre of major, long-term infrastructure and investment programmes. It offers board-level influence, exposure to landmark transactions, and the opportunity to shape complex PPP and investment structures within a highly sophisticated, well-capitalised platform.

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2026-03-04 08:23:31

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